Watch the video: Everyday riddles – what do these signs on houses mean?
What could these letters and numbers mean?
A tip: Almost everyone has seen something like this on German streets.
Well, can you figure it out?
This is one of the small, colorful information signs that can be found on many German house facades.
But what do the whole numbers and letters actually stand for and what are the colors all about?
At first glance, the aluminum panels appear rather cryptic and do not immediately provide any information about their meaning.
In general, the signs indicate where certain lines and pipes run underground or where underground shut-off valves and connections are hidden.
We’ll show you how to read them.
1. The color.
The color represents the type of cable.
Blue represents a water pipe and green represents a sewer pipe.
Yellow stands for a gas pipe, orange or red for a district heating pipe and white or gray for electricity.
The white board with a red border is of particular interest to the fire department.
It indicates a hydrant or underground water connection.
2. The letter
The letter indicates the species.
For example, “HA” means house connection, “AV” stands for shut-off valve and “AH” for shut-off valve.
3. The numbers
The number next to the letter represents the pipe or line diameter in millimeters.
The number under the large “T” indicates how many meters you have to go to the right or left, depending on which side of the T-shaped symbol the number is on.
The last number indicates the distance to the front.